Milton T. Russell (also known as Milton F. Russell, 25 September 1836 - 2 July 1908) was a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

who was awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor for gallantry during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. Russell was awarded the medal on 28 September 1897 for actions performed at the

Battle of Stones River The Battle of Stones River, also known as the Second Battle of Murfreesboro, was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863, in Middle Tennessee, as the culmination of the Stones River Campaign in the Western Theater of the American Ci ...

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

on 29 December 1862.

Personal life

Russell was born on 25 September 1836 in

Hendricks County Hendricks County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 174,788. The county seat is the town of Danville. Hendricks County is the third most populous county in the Indianapolis- Carme ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

to parents Smith Russell and Elizabeth Richardson. He was one of four children. He married Harriet Catherine Harlan and fathered one daughter. He was a companion of the Iowa Commandery of the

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or, simply, the Loyal Legion, is a United States military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the Union Army. The original membership was consisted ...

. He died in

Alameda County Alameda County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,682,353, making it the 7th-most populous county in the state and 21st most populous nationally. The county seat is Oakland. A ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

on 2 July 1908 and was buried in the San Francisco Columbarium in

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, California.

Military service

Russell enlisted in the Army on 11 October 1861 in North Salem, Indiana as a

first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...

and was commissioned into Company A of the 51st Indiana Infantry on 31 December 1861. He was promoted to captain on 10 August 1862, by general Liam F. Hoffman. On the evening of 29 December 1862, at the Battle of Stones River, Russell was ordered to lead 200 men of Company A on a reconnaissance mission across the

Stones River The Stones River (properly spelled Stone's River) is a major stream of the eastern portion of Tennessee's Nashville Basin region and a tributary of the Cumberland River. It is named after explorer and longhunter Uriah Stone, who navigated the r ...

in preparation for a Union assault the next day. He, along with his men, crossed the river, and after receiving a volley of fire from the

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

troops, charged the Confederate line in the darkness, successfully scattering the enemy. Russell later reflected that he would have rather charged at the enemy when their guns were empty rather than attempt to re-cross the river and that he could have faced a court martial had the attack failed. Russell's Medal of Honor citation reads: Russell was later captured at Gaylesville,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

on 3 May 1864 and was held at Macon,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

and Columbia,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

before being discharged from the Army on 30 December 1864.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, Milton 1836 births 1908 deaths American Civil War recipients of the Medal of Honor People from Hendricks County, Indiana